A Chinese woman and two chefs received praise for their bravery after subduing a knife-wielding man during a street attack. - Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
BEIJING: A woman and two chefs in China used an umbrella and kitchen tools to thwart a knife-wielding man during a street attack, earning widespread praise on mainland social media.
On Sept 11, a photographer assaulted his female client with a fruit knife following an argument over her dissatisfaction with his work.
The incident occurred on the street in Suzhou, a city in eastern China, according to the mainland media outlet, Xiaoxiang Morning Post.
A video circulating online captures a female tourist stepping forward to strike the attacker’s hand with an umbrella as he gripped and pulled the client’s hair.
Shortly after, a restaurant owner and his employee joined in, using ladles as weapons to corner the assailant and ultimately subdue him.
Police have arrested the photographer and are investigating the incident.
The injured woman was taken to the hospital and was reported to be in stable condition at the time of writing.
The tourist who intervened with the umbrella is reportedly named Liu Yang, from Chongqing in southwest China.
Liu said the attack unfolded suddenly, and she felt a sense of responsibility as she was nearby.
“If something terrible had happened to the girl being attacked, I would have felt guilty for the rest of my life,” she stated.
The two men who wielded kitchen tools worked at a nearby braised food shop.
Jiao Yuanshi, 33, the shop owner, is a military veteran who served for eight years.
“I struck the attacker’s neck with the ladle, allowing the victim to escape. Then the attacker turned on me with his knife,” he explained.
Jiao mentioned he had received training to handle emergencies during his military service.
“Facing the knife, I did feel fear, but the instinct to protect others outweighed it,” he remarked.
He noted that many passers-by were at the scene, shouting at the attacker: “Put the knife down.”
He praised the female tourist with the umbrella, calling her “very brave”.
The man who assisted Jiao in subduing the attacker was Liu Qiang.
On September 12, a public welfare initiative established by Alibaba Group, the owner of the South China Morning Post, announced a reward of 20,000 yuan (US$2,800) for the three individuals to commend their bravery.
“In times of danger, true bravery isn’t defined by physical strength; it’s the courage fuelled by passion that overcomes our natural instinct to fear,” read a statement on the project’s Weibo account.
The trio’s heroic actions quickly made headlines on mainland social media, with many netizens dubbing them “Good Samaritans in China”.
“Using an umbrella and ladles to confront a knife, these three individuals demonstrated what true courage and a sense of justice are,” one commenter remarked.
“People like you remind me that the world can genuinely be a beautiful place. Thank you,” another wrote.
“Next time I witness someone in danger, I hope I can be as brave as you and step in to help,” a third added. - South China Morning Post
